Dynamo Dresden defend playing style ahead of pressure test in Braunschweig
Eintracht Braunschweig host Dynamo Dresden on Saturday in round 5 of Germany's 2. Bundesliga; after a run of losses, Dresden coach Thomas Stamm has had to defend the team's style of play against criticism from fans.
A high-stakes fixture
Eintracht Braunschweig and Dynamo Dresden meet on Saturday, September 12, at 13:00 at the Eintracht-Stadion in Braunschweig, in round 5 of the 2. Bundesliga. The match will be officiated by referee Lars Erbst, according to T-Online.
After four rounds, both sides sit in the lower half of the table. Dresden, with one win and three defeats (goal difference 5:10), are last, in 18th place, while Braunschweig, level on points but with a better goal difference (10:10), are 15th.
Fans criticize the playing style
According to BILD, following a 1:2 home defeat to Bochum, some Dresden supporters criticized the team's style on social media, arguing that Dresden build up play too much from the back and that mistakes made in that phase have been inviting goals for opponents.
Swiss coach Thomas Stamm, 43, responded to the criticism at a press conference. He said the issue should be viewed in a broader context, noting such incidents have been rare over the past two years, citing an episode against 1860 Munich and a similar situation last season against Karlsruher SC. Regarding the first goal conceded against Bochum, he acknowledged the team lost the ball while playing through the middle.
Stamm said he sees no reason to change his approach and will keep giving players solutions for finding space in front of the opponent's defensive line. As a counter-example, he pointed to a game against Darmstadt where building out from the goalkeeper worked well and led to a goal.
Last season's experience backs Stamm's approach
As BILD notes, during last season's relegation battle the same possession-based build-up style helped the team perform under heavy pressure — home wins over Bochum (2:0) and Kaiserslautern (1:0) at the time were marked by strong control and dominance.
For now, Dresden's fans are being asked to stay patient after a poor start to the season, while a win in Braunschweig would let the club quickly climb off the bottom of the table before a longer relegation fight could set in.
